Thai Red Curry Chicken

I don’t know what it is about Thai food, but I crave it constantly. Much to my dismay, rice noodles do not fit anywhere into our slow carb or Whole30 lives, so I’ve had to learn to cook some of the good stuff all on my own. This Thai Red Curry chicken is so easy and quick, this might be a new weekly event in our house!

I get our Thai Red Curry paste from a local brand called Thai & True, but any brand is fine as long as it is slow carb/paleo/Whole30 compliant (whichever one you need it to be). I also use a wok-style oil that’s infused with lemongrass and ginger, but this is just something I have on hand and like to use, any cooking fat will do just fine for this recipe! In general, I highly recommend avocado oil and beef tallow for most cooking needs (though beef tallow may not be the best choice for this particular recipe).

Prep all ingredients before starting to cook – this tends to make the whole experience much more enjoyable. I like to start with produce and do the chicken last so I can use the same cutting board – the fewer dirty dishes we make, the better! For recipes like this, I like to take more of a cubed approach to my chicken breast, roughly 1″ in size. They do not all need to be the same shape, but trying to keep your chicken pieces around the same size will insure a more even cook throughout.

Heat your oil of choice in a large non-stick pan. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until lightly softened and fragrant (3-5 minutes). Season with a pinch of salt, pepper, and coriander. Add the curry paste, stirring continuously for about one minute to break it up and mix in with the veggies.

Add the chicken, seasoning with a pinch of salt. Stir everything together and let the chicken cook for 2-4 minutes to develop some color. Add coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces and thickens. At any point, add in the fresh Thai basil and scallions – they’ll taste great fully incorporated after the coconut milk boils, or you can save them until the very end if you want some crunch. Season to taste and serve immediately.